Scan barcode
A review by nicolemhewitt
The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley
5.0
This review (along with a giveaway!) and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This emotionally compelling novel in verse is a bittersweet portrayal of the complexities of adoption. Rynn has wondered her whole life where she came from. She’s always known she was adopted, but since the adoption was closed, she doesn’t know anything about her birth family. And, to complicate matters more, her relationship with her volatile adoptive mother ranges from strained to miserable, depending on the day. As an adoptive mom myself, I’ll admit that sometimes this book was tough to read. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the joys of adoptive families. Rynn’s pain over missing out on her biological ties is palpable, and her adoptive family life is unfortunately pretty terrible because of her mom (she does have a close relationship with her dad, though).
But, families are families, right? Some are idyllic and some are pretty rough, whether they’re biological or adoptive. And I know firsthand that adoption does add an extra layer of complexity (and difficulty) to the parent-child relationship. There is trauma there that can sometimes feel impossible to navigate. In the case of my family, we have gotten to a really good place, but there were times when my son was young (he was adopted at age three-and-a-half) that I questioned everything. It wasn’t the easy transition that gets portrayed in the after-school-specials about adoption. This book portrays the realities of growing up feeling like something is missing in your life (I’ve had nights where I had to sit with my kiddo and try to help him process the fact that his family “gave him away”). And it depicts the very real difficulties that come with navigating painful family relationships, whether they are biological or not. But in the end, the book gives us hope for the resilience of the human spirit. As Rynn discovers her family ties, she also finds that she can stand up for herself (and her newly-discovered younger sister) in ways she never imagined. And she realizes that the ties she has with friends may be some of the most valuable in her life as well—and that family can be defined in many ways.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Media Masters Publicity so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This emotionally compelling novel in verse is a bittersweet portrayal of the complexities of adoption. Rynn has wondered her whole life where she came from. She’s always known she was adopted, but since the adoption was closed, she doesn’t know anything about her birth family. And, to complicate matters more, her relationship with her volatile adoptive mother ranges from strained to miserable, depending on the day. As an adoptive mom myself, I’ll admit that sometimes this book was tough to read. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the joys of adoptive families. Rynn’s pain over missing out on her biological ties is palpable, and her adoptive family life is unfortunately pretty terrible because of her mom (she does have a close relationship with her dad, though).
But, families are families, right? Some are idyllic and some are pretty rough, whether they’re biological or adoptive. And I know firsthand that adoption does add an extra layer of complexity (and difficulty) to the parent-child relationship. There is trauma there that can sometimes feel impossible to navigate. In the case of my family, we have gotten to a really good place, but there were times when my son was young (he was adopted at age three-and-a-half) that I questioned everything. It wasn’t the easy transition that gets portrayed in the after-school-specials about adoption. This book portrays the realities of growing up feeling like something is missing in your life (I’ve had nights where I had to sit with my kiddo and try to help him process the fact that his family “gave him away”). And it depicts the very real difficulties that come with navigating painful family relationships, whether they are biological or not. But in the end, the book gives us hope for the resilience of the human spirit. As Rynn discovers her family ties, she also finds that she can stand up for herself (and her newly-discovered younger sister) in ways she never imagined. And she realizes that the ties she has with friends may be some of the most valuable in her life as well—and that family can be defined in many ways.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Media Masters Publicity so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***